Don't Count Out Networking

Networking events.

Those things that I once called "so cringey and awful".

Some people see them as antiquated.

A friend with a career in digital marketing was horrified when I explained that my week always involves 2 or 3 in person events that I attend.

"You mean... you actually go to those?" He asked.

I teased back, "Yeah -- crazy idea, actually meeting people face to face and having a real conversation instead of pitching them through DMs."

The truth is -- I really do like networking, despite all its flaws.

And there are plenty.

Many people count these kinds of events off entirely because they're entirely too impatient.

It's like the person who signs up for an SEO package, and then is floored that two weeks wasn't enough time to skyrocket them to Result #1 on Google.

Or the person who decides to get active on social media -- then quits after a few days because the sales didn't come pouring in.

I think people treat networking the same way -- and the level of patience for success is even lower.

Mostly because these events can be so awkward and uncomfortable.

And if you're going to a pitch event where you get your 60 second plug for your latest offer - a "failed" event can be your latest blow to your confidence.

I say failed fairly generically -- only because so often we judge these events as valuable or not based on how quickly the sale comes.

And I think therein lies the problem with a multitude of opportunities in business.

For a long time I've talked about the Ten Year Game of business.

It started when I began to notice that podcast guest after podcast guest -- who each had become multi-million dollar business owners that I'd call successful -- didn't share some hack or crazy insight on how they made it.

Instead, they talked about their ten year game. Ten years of grinding. Of the pain of entrepreneurship. Battling themselves. Learning their customers. And ultimately innovating and revising their product into a version that people would easily say "Yes" to.

It's not a very sexy story I guess -- especially not compared to the savvy salespeople who will tell you that in 30 days of your new venture you'll hit seven figures.

"Just send this one email."

"Just send this one inbox message."

"All you need is this one landing page."

There's a thousand different versions of these. And I think if your naive enough to be misled by whatever version you come across, then it's likely Networking isn't for you.

In fact, it's likely many successful steps in business aren't for you.

Because you don't have the patience for it. You don't have the appetite to withstand the Ten Year Game. To build and create something truly meaningful.

I think that's why Networking gets a bad wrap. Because if you aren't comfortable on a microphone -- if you aren't confident in front of people... it's easy to think, "What am I even doing here?"

Still -- four years into my business, I'm again and again coming back to the power of Networking.

And maybe that's my bias. Maybe it's because I feel I really shine when I can have an actual conversation with my potential client. Maybe if I was a better copywriter, I'd think differently, and I'm willing to embrace that as a possible blind spot.

Even so -- my encouragement this week is this.

Don't count out networking. Don't count out opportunities to have real conversations with real people.

Because it's here you'll make actual connections. It's here you'll build meaningful, tangible trust.

And as "digital" as we try to make the age we live in now (don't get me wrong, I'm all in on digital), nothing replaces the power of trust.

More on this below:

Blake is the founder of?Good Advice, a consulting company that grows and scales businesses with simple steps. Want more content like this??Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Blake also runs the?Good Advice Podcast, one of the top business podcasts in the country, available on every podcast platform.?Listen via Spotify.